Short answer. Publishing takes two stages: preparation (half a day to a day) and moderation. Moderation in RuStore takes 4 to 7 days: that is not a promise from the platform but our own measurement across our submissions, and in September 2026 support confirmed the term had been extended to seven days. Plan the release with room to spare — “we'll publish it tomorrow” does not happen.
What to prepare in advance
- A developer account. A company, a sole trader or a self-employed person — verified through Gosuslugi.
- The app file. RuStore accepts an APK. That differs from Google Play, which needs an AAB — if you built for Play, build a separate APK.
- The signing key (keystore) and a backup copy of it. There is a separate section on this below — it is the one genuinely unrecoverable thing.
- An icon and screenshots. A 512×512 icon and at least three screenshots of real app screens. Pictures “from the internet” do not pass.
- Descriptions. A short one (up to 80 characters) and a full one. The full one is text for a human, not a list of keywords.
- A privacy policy at a public link. You need a separate page on the internet, even if the app collects almost nothing.
- An age rating and a data declaration — what data you collect and why.
The order of steps
Step 1. Build the release version
The release version specifically, signed with your own key, not a debug build. A debug build is signed with the system's service key — it will be accepted once, but from then on the app can only ever be updated with that same debug key. We have been burned by this already: one of our apps is permanently tied to the key it was first signed with.
Step 2. Create the listing in the console
Name, category, descriptions, icon, screenshots, link to the policy. An app's name does not live only in the listing: inside the build it is written separately for each language. If you rename an app, check every language file and not just the main one — otherwise the listing shows the new name while the phone still shows the old one under the icon.
Step 3. Upload the APK and fill in the data declaration
The declaration must match what the app actually does. If you added analytics or a tracker, the data they collect goes in too. A mismatch between the declaration and the real permissions is a common reason for rejection.
Step 4. Submit for moderation
After that it is a matter of waiting. The status is visible in the console; no separate email announces that the review has begun. It is convenient to set auto-publish to 100% — the version then goes live by itself once approved, without a second trip to the console.
How long moderation really takes
| What | Our measurement |
|---|---|
| First publication of an app | 4–7 days |
| Version update | the same; there is no separate fast lane |
| Editing the listing text only | a separate moderation round, not instant |
| Official guidance from support (September 2026) | up to 7 days |
A practical conclusion that saves nerves: do not let edits pile up. If you know that a couple of answers in the listing need fixing after publication, do it in one pass together with the other changes rather than as three separate submissions, each of which joins the same seven-day queue again.
What gets apps rejected
- Screenshots that are not from this app — or pretty mock-ups instead of real screens.
- Permissions with no explanation. The app asks for access to contacts or location and the description says nothing about it.
- Promises in the description that the app does not keep. Moderation catches this, and afterwards so do users in the reviews.
- Medical and financial subjects without disclaimers. If the app touches health in any way, it needs a clear statement that it does not diagnose and does not replace a doctor.
- A broken link to the privacy policy. Check it from someone else's browser, not only from your own.
The signing key: the one thing you must not lose
A lost keystore means you will never update that app again — you will have to publish a new one, at a new listing address, with an audience built from scratch. Neither the platform nor the developer can restore it: that is how Android signing works.
Make two copies of the key and its password, in different places, on the same day you create it. It is literally five minutes that will one day save the app.
RuStore and Google Play: how the routes differ
| RuStore | Google Play | |
|---|---|---|
| File format | APK | AAB |
| Signing | your own key | usually Google's key (Play App Signing) |
| Account fee | none | a one-off fee |
| Check before the first release | moderation, 4–7 days | closed testing, then review |
| In-app payments | RuStore payments | Google Play Billing |
If your audience is in Russia, the sensible order is RuStore first, then Play: you reach users sooner and collect the first reviews while the longer route through Play is still running.
How much does it cost to publish an app in RuStore?
Publishing is free; there is no one-off developer account fee. You only pay for building the app itself and for any paid services inside it.
Can a self-employed person publish an app?
Yes. A developer account can be opened by a company, a sole trader or a self-employed person, with verification through Gosuslugi.
Why has my app been “Awaiting moderation” for a week?
That is within normal limits: our measurement gives 4–7 days, and in the autumn of 2026 support confirmed the term had been extended to seven. There is no point writing to support before that — the submission is simply in the queue.
Do I need a website to publish an app?
A full website, no — but you do need a publicly reachable page with a privacy policy. A single page at a permanent address is enough.
What do I do if the app comes back with a comment?
Fix exactly what was flagged and resubmit — the submission joins the queue again. That is why it is cheaper to check the screenshots, permissions and data declaration carefully once than to go round twice at a week each.